Job Description

Community Engagement Manager

As climate change impacts communities across the U.S., the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) believes that our buildings should reduce pollution, protect our health, and enable us to thrive. IMT’s community engagement is based upon the principles of the Just Transition, a vision-led, unifying and place-based set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy. IMT seeks a dynamic professional with an understanding of the complexities involved in adopting and implementing strategies that address the climate crisis while addressing the immediate needs of communities.

IMT is currently building capacity and partnerships to support communities across the country that are committed to the recently announced National Building Performance Standards Coalition. The goal of this effort is to ensure participation and elevate priorities from frontline communities in the policy-making process in order to develop comprehensive local climate policies, targeting near-term solutions for energy burden and pollution while reducing carbon impact and improving resilience to climate impacts. The Manager will play a key role in supporting the growth and development of partnerships with national, regional, and local stakeholders in this effort. This position will report to the Associate Director of Community Engagement.

The successful candidate will help identify and empower community organizations and voices in the planning and implementation of energy policies and programs, in the development and operation of real estate, and in the utility sector. This work will require interacting with a diverse set of stakeholders, identifying new and creative policy solutions, and finding common ground for successful design and implementation of policies and programs. As IMT’s primary representative to community organizations, this individual should have experience working directly within, or closely with, community-based organizations. Empathetic to the need to take quick action to decarbonize buildings, this individual will be a self-starter driven by both a sense of urgency for climate action and an insistence on inclusive community engagement and solutions centered on equity and people.

Responsibilities

Outreach & Facilitation

• In collaboration with the communications team, develop outreach and education materials for community audiences, including traditional and digital fact sheets, briefs, and toolkits.

Communications

• Develop and disseminate technical information and materials, making technical information accessible to community partners
• Utilize Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools to educate, inform, and mobilize community partners, making connections between policy and community priorities

Government Engagement

• Promote the co-development of policy between city staff and community partners to enhance community-driven decision-making, collaboration and transformation
• Organize and facilitate meetings with a diverse group of stakeholders including Community Based Organizations (CBOs), government officials, businesses and non-profit organizations

Other

• Serve as a primary point of contact for CBOs engaged with IMT’s work, tracking their needs, identifying priorities, and providing recommendations for IMT staff who will craft policy solutions
• Oversee contracts between IMT and CBOs in project development
• Improve and implement CBO engagement strategy in coordination with IMT’s program teams to collectively identify ways to leverage policies and programs to achieve community priorities such as racial equity, climate resilience, housing affordability, public health, and workforce development
• Oversee funding directed to CBOs engaged with IMT
• Leverage IMT’s ongoing and broad work in the District of Columbia, and in coordination with IMT’s DC project leads, develop strategic plans for coordinating with DC-based CBOs on identifying and addressing urgent community needs through IMT’s climate and energy-focused work in DC

Qualifications and Skills

• Leadership skills and the ability to connect with and build effective teams of diverse partners across the community.
• A strong commitment to and understanding of social justice, climate/ environmental justice, and/or labor movements. See Climate Justice Alliance for more information on the Just Transition and multi-sector alliance work.
• Demonstrated interest in coalition building.
• The ability to develop and implement an organizational vision.
• Enthusiasm for building relationships across communities.
• Motivated self-starter able to learn and solve problems without heavy supervision.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

This is a full-time position located at IMT’s headquarters in Washington, DC. However, remote employment will be considered. IMT currently encourages remote work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The salary range for this position is $80,000 to $90,000, commensurate with experience and based on geographic location. IMT offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, life insurance and disability coverage. IMT also offers generous paid time-off and certain commuter benefits for the DC-metro area.

To apply, please send cover letter and resume to [email protected] with “Community Engagement Manager” in the subject line.